Middle School

In our Middle School Division of grades 6-8, we encourage our students to develop and apply learning strategies across a rich and multidisciplinary curriculum while also preparing them for the academic, social, and emotional transition to the Upper School Division.

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Average of 10 students per class

Expert learning specialist dedicated to each grade level

Metacognition classes that teach students self-advocacy and how they learn best

Leveled sections of classes in grades 7-8

Wilson® Reading Instruction as needed

After-school Homework Assistance Program led by Woodlynde teachers

After-school trips and social events through the L.E.A.D. Student Life Program

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To ease the transition for our students to Middle School, our grade 6 teachers carefully work as a team to support students in developing the skills for a successful school year, both academically and socially. Grade 6 students move between two classrooms for their core classes as a means of getting used to switching classes. In grades 7 and 8, students have a different teacher for each of their core areas, however these teachers continue to work together as a team to support students academically. The Middle School curriculum is a challenging academic program that teaches students to make connections and draw conclusions by seeing the "big picture" and by learning how to apply the knowledge gained to real world contexts.

This style of learning emphasizes the interdisciplinary relationships among subjects, helping Middle School students build connections from one subject through another. The Middle School curriculum provides strategies and teaching methods tailored to each student's learning style that allow them to become critical and strategic thinkers as well as independent and confident learners. Teachers work with students' learning styles to help them access the material and utilize it to make connections and inferences. This gives them a hands-on approach and multi-sensory methods to deliver the concepts.

In Middle School, there is a dedicated learning specialist assigned to each grade level. The K-6 learning specialist helps students make the transition from grade 5 to grade 6 and provides additional support throughout the school year. For grades 7 and 8, the learning specialist stays with that grade level for its "divisional career," allowing learning specialists to get to know the academic profile of each student thoroughly. Learning specialists have daily interaction with students and teachers to help enhance learning strategies. An Academic Lab is built into each child's weekly schedule. This is a dedicated time for teaching and strengthening time management and organizational skills.

A course in Metacognition is offered in all Middle School grades so that students learn how they think. Study of the brain, how each part works, and how they work together to let the body function and learn is part of this course. Using the methods developed by Mel Levine, M.D., Ph.D., the text is The Mind That's Mine. Dr. Levine led major brain research and founded Schools Attuned, a leading method for working with students who learn differently. It is thought that if students learn how they think, they will understand more about the strategies that will help them learn.

Technology is an integral part of the Middle School curriculum and empowers students to develop the skills needed to become independent learners. Throughout the curriculum, students develop digital research skills and utilize tools to organize their work, including concept mapping tools (Inspiration) and digital resource organization tools (EasyBib). Students use tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Prezi to develop presentation skills. Microsoft Word, integrated into the writing curriculum, allows each student to submit assignments that reflect attention to detail and increasing professionalism. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel is fostered through application in both math and science classes, while Microsoft Publisher is used to create subject-based newsletters, newspapers, and magazines in several subject areas. Computer classes cover topics such as web page design, working with images, and Microsoft Outlook. Computer hardware and computer programming are addressed in grades 7 and 8, respectively. Practice in keyboarding fosters additional technological self-sufficiency among students.

Woodlynde School

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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.